Centrifugally formed bale of fibrous material and the like



United States Patent 3,214,017 CENTRIFUGALLY FORMED BALE OF FIBROUSMATERIAL AND THE LIKE Lloyd B. Smith, 607 N. 31st St., Birmingham, Ala.Orig nal application Dec. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 242,215.

Divided and this application Nov. 18, 1963, Ser. No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-835) This application is a division of my co-pendingapplication Serial No. 242,215, filed December 4, 1962, Process andApparatus for Centrifugally Baling Fibrous Materials and the Like andBale Formed Thereby.

This invention relates to bales of fibrous materials such as cotton,synthetic fibers and the like.

In my prior co-pending applications, Serial No. 33,301, filed June 1,1960, Process and Apparatus for Baling Fibers and Bale Formed Thereby,now Patent No. 3,133,563, and Serial No. 69,649, filed November 16,1960, Construction for High Gravity Centrifuges and the Like, nowabandoned, I show, describe and claim a process and apparatus for balingfibers and an improved form of construction for high gravity centrifugesuseful for this purpose.

In the centrifugal baling of materials such as lint cotton to obtaindensities on the order of 20 pounds per cubic foot, I have encountered,under certain conditions, a problem of maintaining the apparatus inbalance. Thus, when baling such fibers and employing the concepts of thepresent invention, the centrifuge has a tendency toward dynamicunbalance. I have discovered that in such cases the layers of fibers asthey are laid on in forming the bale are put in such tension that thelayers actually shear, part or cleave, thus throwing more weight on onepart of the centrifuge wall than on the others, causing unbalance. Whenit is understood that the cylinder portion of the centrifuge in questionmay be on the order of 52 inches in diameter by 20 inches long and thatit may be rotated at around 1800 r.p.m., the seriousness of even a smallunbalance will be appreciated.

In attempting to solve this problem, I have conceived, and in actualpractice have proven, that one solution is purposefully to cause thelayers of fibers to cleave or break at diametrically opposite points asthe bale is formed. In this way there is no sudden breaking or cleavingof the layers and hence no sudden, unbalancing shifting of the weight.Starting with the very first or outermost fibers delivered to thecentrifuge, therefore, I purpose to form that layer and subsequentlayers into at least two circumferential extending parts, thus in effectstress relieving by such cleavage what otherwise would eventually becomelayers of highly tensioned bands which eventually upon the piling on ofother layers would part at some random line, shifting circumferentially,and causing unbalance.

Briefly, my invention contemplates a bale of fibers and like materialsformed in a centrifuge in which the bale is purposefully caused tocleave or part commencing at predetermined, generally diametricallyopposed points, along generally radially opposed lines, whereby theunbalancing conditions referred to are never permitted to materialize.

My invention contemplates a centrifugally formed bale in which when theouter wrapper or container is removed, the bale parts along the cleavagelines already mentioned, thus facilitating the opening of the bale foruse of the fibers therein in textile or other processes.

Apparatus illustrating constructional features of a centrifuge which maybe used for forming my improved bale is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a centrifuge 3,214,017Patented Oct. 26, 1965 equipped with my improved cleavage inducingmembers;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 22 of FIG. 1 andshowing the centrifuge with the bale therein completed, prior toremoving the same from the centrifuge;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing one method ofattaching the cleavage inducing members to the interior of thecentrifuge; and

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of one of the cleavage inducing members.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of my inventionI illustrate somewhat in diagrammatic manner a centrifuge C. Theapparatus may be supported on a shaft 10 mounted in a bearing 11 andpower for rotating the apparatus may be supplied through a pulley or thelike indicated diagrammatically at 12 from a source of power 12*.

The centrifuge proper may embody the outer shell portion 13 and theradial portion 14. In actual practice it will be understood that theshell and radial portions are made separately and preferably areconnected together by the pin construction shown, described and claimedin my aforesaid patent application Serial No. 69,649. However, for thepurposesof illustrating the present invention, I have shown a somewhatconventional centrifuge in order to eliminate details from the drawingsand description. A removable door 16 is provided and the door has anopening 17 therethrough. The door may be held in place by means ofcentrifugal latch pins 18'.

It will further be understood that the fiber to be baled will be placedin a kraftboard or other container. This container may embody threeparts, namely, the circumferential or cylindrical shell portion 19, arear circular head 21 and a front circular head 22. The head 22 has anopening 23 therein corresponding to the opening in the door. Fiber to bebaled is delivered in an air borne stream through a conduit 24 the endof which may be moved into the centrifuge and, with the centrifugerotating the air is expelled either out of the openings 17 and 23 or isdrawn out, partly, by means of a special nozzle which forms the subjectof another of my co-pending applications Serial No. 286,016, Process andApparatus for Packaging or Baling Fibrous Materials and the Like, filedJune 6, 1963. As shown diagrammatically, the feed tube or conduit 24 maybe reciprocated from the inner dotted position indicated to a positionjust inside the door opening by means of a double acting fluid pressurecylinder 25. At 25 is a movable balile which serves to turn the fiberstream toward the periphery of the centrifuge. Suffice it to say thatthe fiber is delivered, either in an airborne stream or otherwise, intothe centrifuge while it is rotating and is directed toward the innerperiphery thereof, thus to form the bale.

Extending axially of the centrifuge, substantially for the fulleffective length thereof are the cleavage inducing members 26. As shownin the drawings I provide four of these members, preferably, although insome instances two of them will sufiice. It will be noted that they arespaced equally, that is, apart or, if only two are used, apart.

The members 26 may be mounted in any convenient manner inside thecentrifuge. Further, they might even be mounted inside of thecircumferental portion 19 of the container. Preferably, I mount themembers 26 by means of studs 27 which pass through slightly enlargedopenings 28 in the radial portion 14 of the centrifuge so that themembers are slightly loosely mounted at one end only. The object of thisis to permit ready insertion of the circumferential package part 19. Inorder to accommodate the rear circular part 21 of the package I providetriangular openings 29 in the package disc 21 so that this member,

when readying the machine for operation, simply is slipped into themachine around the members 26 and lies against the inner wall of theradial part 14.

As shown particularly in FIG. 4, the members 26 may be in the form ofgenerally triangular shaped pieces as viewed in cross section, therebeing a drilled and tapped hole 31 in the rear ends of the members toreceive the studs 27.

From what has been described it is now possible to explain more fullythe operation of the apparatus to produce my improved bale.

It will be understood that as the fiber enters the machine thecentrifugal force causes the same to accumulate in uniform layers on theinner surface of the circumferential packages part 19. If the centrifugeis rotating, say, in the neighborhood of 1800 revolutions per minute, itwill further be apparent that there may be no well defined layers assuch, since the rate of delivery of the fibers compared to the speed ofthe surface on which they are deposited will prevent any formation oftrue, distinct layers in the sense of there being visible divisions,cross-section-wise, between the fibers. However, without the members 26it will be seen that the introduction of the fiber builds up a band offiber, at any given instant, which is under terrific tensile pull. It isthe shearing or pulling apart of these stressed bands which hasheretofore caused the trouble in these centrifuges. With the members 26in place, as the fibers are delivered into the machine to form theentire bale B, the members 26 induce the formation of actually, in thecase shown, four separate sections of the bale as viewed in crosssection. That is, from the very beginning the layers are formed with thedefinite spiral, generally radially extending cleavage lines 32indicated in FIG. 2 defining the sections. Therefore, at no time isthere any tendency for the fiber to shift in any manner, thusmaintaining the centrifuge in balance.

In actual practice upon removing either of the end discs of the packagefrom bales made by my invention the lines indicated at 32 are quitedistinctly visible. Upon opening the bale by cutting the circumferentialpart 19 (which incidentally may contain metal bands either embedded inthe kraftboard or on the outside thereof, not shown), the bale actuallyfalls apart into four separate segments, dividing itself along the lines32, for the entire length of the bale. In practice, with a SOO-poundbale of cotton at a density of approximately 23 pounds per cubic foot,no inbalance was noted in the formation of such bale and upon openingsuch bales they actually do fall apart precisely as indicated.

I attribute the successful functioning of my invention to the fact thatinstead of permitting the bale to shear or cleave at random, Ipurposefully stress relieve su-ch tendency by actually forming the balefrom the very beginning with the break or part lines 32, due to theprovision of the members 26 or equivalent means. I have baled dozens ofbales of ditferent materials such as Orlon, nylon, cotton, and the like,in a machine of the size herein indicated and in each instance haveeliminated all dynamic balance problems and have provided bales whichcome apart into sections, thus facilitating further processing of thefibers into the opening rom of a textile mill. It will be understoodthat with the apparatus shown the feed tube 24 actually enters theopenings 17 and 23 to deliver fibers to the centrifuge and then when themachine is stopped the hole in the center closes up as indicated in FIG.2. Hence, the lines 32 do not necessarily come all the way to thegeometric center of the bale inasmuch as the cleaving action mentionedstops short thereof.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have invented an improvedbale of fibers. In actual experimental practice my invention has provento be extremely satisfactory. When utilized with the pin constructionshown in my above application Serial No. 69,649, and with the featuresof the invention described in my application Serial No. 33,301, I haveprovided a centrifugal baling apparatus which is entirely practical andin which gravities heretofore unheard of in machines of this size areobtainable in the ordinary course of their operation. It will be seenthat the bale formed by my invention is divided along the spiral radiallines into sectors of substantially equal rnass. It will be understoodthat any reasonable number of the cleaving inducing members may be used,for instance four of them. At all events whatever number is used theyare spaced equi-angularly around the inside of the centrifuge.

Within the meaning of this disclosure the spiral radial lines ofcleavage are contemplated by and included in the expression generallyradial lines and similar expressions.

While I have disclosed in this application the baling of fibrousmaterials it may well be that there are other materials which would lendthemselves to baling by my improved process and apparatus. However, myexperiments to date do not permit me at this time to state preciselywhat other materials than cotton, Orlon, nylon and the like can besuccessfully baled. Therefore, within the meaning of this disclosure andthe appended claims, the term fibrous material is intended to includeall materials which in fact are capable of being baled by the use of myinvention.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible ofvarious changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A bale of fibrous material generally cylindrical in shape and dividedlongitudinally into at least two segments along lines of cleavageextending from the periphery of the bale toward the center thereof.

2. A bale of fibrous material generally cylindrical in overallconfiguration divided longitudinally into at least two generally equalsegments along oppositely disposed generally radially extending spirallines.

3. A bale of fibrous material in the shape of a cylinder having adiameter greater than its length, said bale being divided into aplurality of substantially equal segments along lines of cleavageextending from the periphery thereof toward the center of the bale.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 679,831 8/01Cowley 2065 9 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,274 9/98 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

1. A BALE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL IN SHAPE AND DIVIDEDLONGITUDINALLY INTO AT LEAST TWO SEGMENTS ALONG LINES OF CLEAVAGEEXTENDING FROM THE PERIPHERY OF THE BALE OF TOWARD THE CENTER THEREOF.